Priceless Lessons From The Life Of Judas
“And He said to them all If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23
Even though Judas is a character in the Bible who did not end well, there is still much we can learn from his life. At the end of his life, Judas lost the personal presence of Jesus, fellowship with the body of Christ, the privilege to participate in ministry, and his reward in Heaven. Judas made many mistakes that led to this downfall. First of all, he refused to change. He saw blind eyes opened, lepers cleansed, and the lame running down the aisles. Judas was there when Lazarus was raised from the dead. Yet when it came down to it, Judas never really changed. The Bible says that the day after Jesus chose His disciples, He said, “And one of you is a devil.” So Judas started out as a devil and, even after being around Jesus for three years, ended as a devil. He refused to change.
The purpose in your heart is that you will not end the way you started out. It’s not enough to just be where Jesus is. It’s not enough to just hear the Word of God taught to you and associate with other believers. You have to let God change your life. Christianity is about a better you- a freer you, a “more like Jesus” you. So don’t ever get so churchy that you can hang around Jesus, but never allow Him to change your attitude, heart, and morality. Be open to allowing Him to change your spirit to be more like Him.
The second lesson we can learn from Judas is to give Jesus everything. Judas was willing to give Jesus some of himself but not all of himself. This was evidenced by his words when Mary broke open the alabaster box and poured it out on the feet of Jesus. Judas said, “Why this waste?” The extravagance of her worship bothered him. He wasn’t upset because the woman gave him something, but he didn’t think she should have given everything.
Revelation 3:15 says, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!” God does not want a partial commitment from you. He doesn’t want to just be a compartment in your life reserved for Sundays. Joy in the Christian walk comes when you surrender everything to God. It happens when you invite Him into your relationships, your career, and your future. Everything becomes centered around Him. Judas only wanted to be involved in the parts of Christianity that benefited him, but he never yielded his heart to Jesus, which caused him to miss out on the greatest treasure this earth could give.
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